[Dagless Kangero] Has slavery returned or did it ever really leave?

The US elections begs the question: has slavery returned or did it ever really leave?

What do the recent US election results entail? Does majority vote for a homophobic, Islamophobic, racist, misogynistic, bigoted individual represent the values of the United States of America? Quite frankly, this is what it feels like and this is what was implied in the polls. It feels like majority of the country- neighbours, co-workers, teachers, and those in the general surrounding hold the same beliefs and school of thought as the man who began the campaign trail last year. The election of an unconventional and bigoted individual only confirms the unspoken fear of the rest of the world in that the West, and specifically the superior whites, has an endless desire of protecting their own interests at the brutal cost of the rest of the world. The US’ status as the hegemonic figure in the global system incurs a worldwide reaction and permits the international relay of concerns regarding the election of its new president as it will have a domino effect- politically, economically, and socially.

To begin, what about the hopes entrusted in the democratic system? It begs the question: how did the Democratic Party allow the anointment of Donald Trump, who holds harsh and threatening views towards the minority group, as a representative of their political party? Dictators are known as those leaders of states who have managed to muster and exercise excess power-usually pertaining to the developing world with limited exercise of democracy.In countries such as America who pride themselves as holding a democratic system of governance: a president is presupposed to have limited powers as conditioned in the constitution. If Trump really does build a wall and proceeds with his immigration policies then perhaps that says a lot more about the democratic government as a whole and not just him as an individual.

Has capitalism really been the silent oppressor this whole time? For those of us looking from the outside, one may only wonder if perhaps segregation and restoration of a tribunal white America has always been the plan but they just needed someone who was willing to be the scapegoat and willing to represent and sell a view of a whole assembly as their own. Globally the spread of capitalism by the West, and America as its most influential agent, is going to be questioned on the basis that what Mr. Trump has been campaigning has in fact been contradictory to the elements of Human Rights and democracy - unless in fact the whole phenomenon has always been falsely misrepresented. How can democracy ever be relied upon ever again?

America has voted in a man who has expressively uttered his intolerable execrate for the policies of the last presidential term and how he aims to reverse them. These policies were steps made towards achieving and promoting the doctrines and disciplines of equality in the name of same sex marriage; women empowerment; legalising abortion; and investment in Planned Parenthood aspects of the community. The new elected president is essentially declaring that the last 8 years of America’s forward movement in these regimes has been regressive rather than progressive in its entirety. That the preceding president in all his efforts, and policies and directives had consequently lost and cost America its sovereignty and absolute development.

Mr. Trump has done more than just won the elections with his campaign, he has provided an avenue to allow the public infringement of those he has singled out as a threat or an alien. Even if his campaign was apolitical strategy to target the white majority population in order to win,Trump supporters still hold what he said to be true and are acting on it. The fear has shifted from Mr. Trump himself, to his supporters who have already within hours of the election results began vandalising the livelihood of the non-white American population. During his campaign, Mr. Trump seems to have identified a superior group to which his win has only reaffirmed and cemented this superiority paradigm- almost as if to justify and certify these acts of violence. What Mr. Trump has done is increased the confidence of bigoted individuals in acting upon their discriminating conceptualisation of how to treat non-white Americans.

What about the brothers? If police brutality was so prominent and killing them whilst a black man held office, how would it be now that a man whoso proudly proclaims his disregard and dislike for the black population has replaced him? How much worse could it possibly get for the marginalised community in America? Who is going to protect them if the power is now vested in the man who’s out to hurt and further marginalise them? Has slavery returned or did it ever really leave?

The feeling is fear of the unknown. What Mr. Trump has said he will do, and what he can actually manage to do and the unmatched possibilities of what he hasn't told us he would do is driving the reactions to his election as US president. The compelling aspect of his campaign obtaining his accompanying support has been a shared interest of discrimination based on race, religion, immigration status, and in the most essential aspects:non-white Americans. The rest of the world will sit obediently and watch what the reformation of a “white America” entails and all the reverberations transgress into a reality.